Sai's First Date
by swirlheart
Summary: When Sai is asked out on a date by Ino, predictably he's clueless. Sai needs the advice and help of his friends if he wants this to be successful. Unfortunately for him, not one of them can agree. All the information he's getting from books, magazines, Naruto and the rest of his friends has left him even more confused than when he started. How will this date work out? T to be safe.


summary: When Sai is asked out on a date by Ino, predictably he's clueless. Sai needs the advice and help of his friends if he wants this to be successful. Unfortunately for him, not one of them can agree. All the information he's getting from books, magazines, Naruto and the rest of his friends has left him even more confused than when he started. How will this date work out?

Disclaimer: Naruto Shippuden and its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. This is just a fanfiction written for fun and positive comments.

**Sai's First Date:**

Now that the war was over, the people of the Leaf Village were trying to rebuild their lives and get back to a sense of normalcy. Surprisingly, it didn't take long at all. The homes and stores had been rebuilt, Kakashi was doing a fine job of being the new Hokage, and the damage from the war was now a distance memory. Everything had returned to normal. Including Sasuke once again leaving the village. Kakashi joked that he was leaving to 'find himself', but as long as history didn't repeat itself no one really cared or bothered to notice his absence. Except for Sakura of course. This time, however, he did promise her that he would be back and gave her a tap on the forehead just as his brother had done for him so long ago.

Everything was normal. At least as normal as it could be. Naruto was still having issues with his severed arm situation. He felt really off balance having only one arm and it made eating a chore. Lady Tsunade managed to make him a temporary prosthetic arm until she could prefect what she had in store for him. She assured him that it would be as if he never lost the arm in the first place, and knowing how good she was Naruto believed her.

"This thing is such a pain," Naruto whined, thumping the fake arm with his finger. "She said she was almost done..."

"And that thing you're wearing is what she was referring to," said Shikamaru. "It will take even longer for her to finish the final thing. This is more or less a prototype."

"I think it's really handy, Naruto," said Choji.

"Ha-ha," grumbled Naruto. "Very funny."

"I wasn't making a joke, but now that you mention it..." Choji pointed to the fake arm. "See? What I was thinking was that you could actually use that arm of yours as a weapon. Just unhook it from your elbow and whack people with it. See? It's perfect."

"Don't give him ideas, Choji," Shikamaru groaned.

Naruto was looking straight ahead.

"What?" Shikamaru asked him.

"It's Sai." Naruto pointed with his other arm. "He seems different."

"Different?" Shikamaru and Choji looked to where Naruto was pointing. Sure enough there was Sai standing in front of a store with his head down. He seemed really distant somehow. He was just staring at the magazine rack, not moving a muscle.

Wanting to get to the bottom of this, Naruto charged straight ahead and stood beside Sai. "Hey, Sai! What's up?" he asked loudly.

His voice caused Sai to flinch. Sai wasn't the type to startle easily, so this was interesting. "Oh. Hi."

"What are you looking at? Thinking about buying one of these?" Naruto looked down at the rack under the store window. Rows and rows of magazines, each with a different cover and title. However, every single one of them had one thing in common. They were all about girls and dating. Naruto slowly turned his head to look at Sai. "Um... Sai? Is there something you want to tell me?"

Sai just stared at the magazines. He seemed to be debating something.

By this time Shikamaru and Choji had caught up and were staring at the magazines, too. All three boys crowded around Sai, watching him stare at the magazines.

"So..." Choji started. "Um... Whatcha looking at?"

"And why?" added Naruto.

Unable to keep the silence any longer, Sai opened his mouth to speak. "I think... a girl just asked me out on a date."

"You think?"

Sai nodded, looking uncertain. "I'm not sure how it happened. One minute I'm standing there and the next she said 'it's a date' and now I'm here."

"She who?" Choji asked.

Sai stared at the magazine as he answered. "Ino."

"Ino?!"

Sai nodded. "I still don't know how it happened."

"Well, how did it happen?" asked Choji. "Did she suddenly say that you should go out on a date or what? What did she say? How did it go?"

Sai looked away from the rack for the first time to look at them. "Well... like I said, we were just standing around. By her flower shop."

"What were you doing there?" asked Naruto.

"I was just walking by."

"Ok, and then she saw you and started talking to you?"

Sai nodded. "Yes. That's how it happened. She called my name and everything so I know there was no mistake. She was talking to me on purpose."

"Anyway, go on. What happened then?"

"She talked. A lot." Sai's eyes shifted, looking from left to right in an almost nervous way. "I was getting tired of standing there so I told her what I intended to do. See, I was on my way to get something to eat. I told her this and she started talking again. She said how she would like to get food, too, but she was working and couldn't. Then she asked if I would be opposed to eating with her some time. I told her that would be fine and that I had some time off tomorrow. She said she was off tomorrow as well and that's when she said 'it's a date'. That's how it happened."

Naruto tilted his head. "So... she asked you out?"

"I guess. I don't know."

"Sounds it to me," said Choji.

"Congratulations," said Shikamaru in a less than sincere way. "You've got a date with Ino. Good luck with that."

Sai looked really nervous, which was rare for him.

"What's wrong?" Choji asked him.

Sai was frowning. "I... I've never been on a date before."

"Shocking," teased Shikamaru.

"I don't know what to do." Sai looked at that others. "What do I do? How does a date work?"

"Isn't it obvious?" said Naruto. "She wanted to get something to eat with you. So take her to dinner."

"But..." Sai still looked nervous. "I've never dated. Things are different on a date, aren't they? Dinner with friends is different from dinner with a date. What are the rules?"

"Rules?"

"Oh, God, he's clueless..."

Sai looked from boy to boy, desperate for answers.

Taking pity on Sai, Shikamaru tried to comfort him. "It's ok. Relax. You have until tomorrow night, right? We'll help you out. We'll give you tips on what to do and everything. You'll be fine."

"Yeah!" Naruto shouted. "We'll help you!"

"Oh. Great. Thanks." Sai didn't seem that grateful. Then again, he may have still been in shook over this whole thing. A girl had never asked him out before and he enlisted in the help of his friends for advice. Considering that one of the people helping him was Naruto, it was understandable why he would look like a fly caught in a web.

"We'll talk to you later, Sai. Bye!"

Sai waved to his friends and stood in front of the store again, alone, looking at the magazines. After much debate, he picked up one of the magazines and opened it.

* * *

Word of Sai's first date spread quickly around the boys until almost everyone knew. They were all making plans for what to do to help Sai and what advice to give him. Kiba's advice was to call the whole thing off. He predicted that it was going to be a disaster. Shino, while agreeing that it might be a disaster, thought that Sai had to start somewhere. This was his first date. Even if it didn't turn out the way he wanted, at least he would have the experience. He suggested running some drills with Sai first and do some practice dates before his evening with Ino.

"Like we have that kind of time, Shino!" Naruto barked.

"Yeah!" added Kiba. "Sai's clueless enough as it is. Do you really think practicing will help him any? He'll screw it up no matter what!"

"Then what's your brilliant idea?"

"I told you. Call the whole thing off. Sai's better off not going on a date at all, especially with Ino. Please, that's your idea of a first date? It's Ino for crying out loud!"

"I agree that my first pick for a first date would not be Ino, but he has to start somewhere and clearly she likes him. Otherwise she wouldn't have asked him out."

"Please. It's Ino. She'll go out with any guy who offered her free food."

"Oh, really? Hey, Choji, mind telling Kiba how Ino reacted when you asked her to get food with you?"

"Point taken."

Choji looked at Shikamaru. "What about you? What do you think we should do?"

"I'd really rather not get involved. Dating is such a pain. This whole thing is just troublesome."

"Can't we just leave him alone and let his do this thing on his own?" asked Kiba. "Let him sink or swim."

"We cannot abandon a friend in need!" cried Lee. "Come on! We have to help Sai! A first date only comes along once in a man's life!"

"Not in my ear, Lee..."

Something had to be done. Naruto doubted that Sai could handle his first date without help. Sai may have been weird and socially inept, but he was still his friend and Naruto didn't want to see him fail. "I say we do what Shino said and coach him. Maybe we can practice with him or something. Let's go find Sai and tell him."

* * *

Though word had traveled among the boys about Sai's date, the girls had yet to hear about it. Since Ino was still at work, she wasn't able to tell any of her friends what was going to happen tomorrow night. So it was a bit surprising when Sakura found Sai in the library reading a bunch of romance novels and how-to books.

"Sai, what are you doing?"

He looked up from the stack of books on the wooden table. "Reading."

Sakura tilted her head to see the title of the book Sai was currently looking at. The title read: How To Win A Woman's Affection. In the stack on the table were other titles which included: My First Date, Romance For Dummies and Oh, My Heart Strings.

A smile started to creep onto Sakura's face. "Aw, Sai..! Is there something you want to tell me?"

"Like what?" he asked, once again clueless of her tone.

"Is there someone you like? You have all these books. Come on, tell me. There is someone you like, isn't there?"

Sai looked at the books and then back at Sakura. "Well... Uh..."

Sakura squealed. "Oh! I knew it! You like someone! How sweet! Tell me, who is she?"

Sai looked away. "Uh... Ino asked me out on a date."

"Aw, that's so..." Sakura paused. "Wait. Ino? She asked you out?"

He nodded.

"And you said yes?"

"I don't remember." It all happened so fast, Sai couldn't recall if he had accepted or not. "But I'm going out with her tomorrow night. She said so."

"I see. So Ino's calling the shots." Sakura looked at all the books. "Then what's up with all the reading material?"

"I've never been on a date before. I'm not sure what to do. So I'm doing some research."

Sakura scanned over the books, frowning slightly. "These books are only going to help so much... And some of them are questionable. Particularly this one." She held up the book titled Exploring Your Feelings With Your Body.

"The title seemed promising."

"Do you even know what it's referring to?" Sakura didn't want to get into that so she changed the subject. "Anyway, you've never dated before? Well, I guess it's not that surprising. But you have no idea how to date? At all?"

"There are some basic ideas and things I've observed but..." Sai closed the book in his hands and started going through the rest on the table. "These all tell me something different. And these contradict what I read in the magazines at the store."

"You read magazines?"

"Yes. They had some good information in them. I read the sections on 'how to please your man', but I'm sure the information is transferable."

Sakura face-palmed. "Oh, God..."

"There was also a part about what girls look for in a guy. They also spoke about how a date can be ruined. Though most of the information in the magazines were talking about what girls could do and what guys look for."

"That's because those dating magazines are for girls!"

"Which would explain the pink flowery covers and colorful bubble letters." Sai looked discouraged. "Naruto said he was willing to help me so at least I have a back up."

"Wait, Naruto said he was going to help you on dating advice?"

"Yes."

"Naruto?"

"Yes."

"On dating?"

"Yes."

Sakura sighed heavily.

"Is something wrong?"

"Sai, whatever you do, don't listen to Naruto. He hasn't got a clue. He's never even dated a girl!"

"That's because you keep turning him down every chance you get."

Sakura was about to punch him but she couldn't bring herself to do so, knowing that he was about to go on his very first date. "Sai, let me give you some advice."

Sai was willing to listen. Getting advice from a girl may prove to be very helpful.

"Since you're going out on a date with Ino, there are some things you should know. First of all, don't speak your mind. Also, she tends to talk a lot, so don't call attention to that. I would hate to see you get beaten up on your first date."

"The magazine gave me some advice on that."

"Forget the magazine." Sakura leaned across the table. "This is Ino and this is your first date. It has to be big."

"Big?"

"Yes! Big. It's a huge deal anyway. This being your first and all. So you have to go all out."

"Uh... All out?"

"Yup!" Sakura was grinning from ear to ear. "You have to show her a good time. Make her feel special. Start by dressing up in something classy. Like a suit or something. And try combing your hair."

Sai touched his head. "What's wrong with my hair?"

"Add some style to it. Make it look really cool."

"Uh... Cool?" Sai never thought much about style. He liked his hair just the way it was. Did he really have to change it?

"Also, bring her flowers."

"But... Ino owns a flower shop. Are the flowers really necessary?"

"Oh, and chocolates. Bring her candy."

Sai frowned. "But if she's on a diet, wouldn't she not want the chocolates? She might think I'm trying to make her fat or something."

Sai was actually using his head a little bit, but Sakura was too busy giving him advice to pay any attention to his comments and questions.

"Take her to a fancy restaurant to eat. White table cloths and everything. A beautiful candle-lit dinner. Oh! Maybe on a rooftop overlooking the night sky!"

"Uh..."

"Have a violinist play her favorite song."

"But I don't know her favorite-"

"And dance with her. You have to dance."

"But I don't know how to dance. I've never tried it before."

Sakura went on without pausing to hear anything he had to say. "And then you take her on a romantic walk through the park. Or a beach."

"There are no beaches around-"

"Maybe you can impress her with something personal."

"I could always draw her a picture."

"Not good enough. It has to be really, really spectacular." Sakura started to list possibilities. Somehow, it changed the entire date she had already planned for them. "You can take her back to your place and cook her dinner and then cuddle up by the fireplace. Under a blanket! Oh, how sweet that would be. Maybe share something sweet together. Like hot chocolate or a bowl of ice cream. Even dango works."

"I don't really like dango."

"And you could... No, wait. Your place isn't that big and I doubt you have a fireplace. Maybe you can take her shopping and buy her whatever she wants. That would be good. Have her model clothes for you and all that."

"Um, Sakura... Are you sure this is advice you're giving me and not just the type of date you would like to go on?"

"Shut up and listen, Sai. This is where it gets really important."

Sai slumped in his seat and rested his head on his arm. This was going to take a while.

* * *

By the time Sakura was finished with Sai, his head was swimming and he felt even more confused than ever. "Dating is hard work. I'm still not sure what to do."

"Sai!" Naruto ran up behind Sai and tackled him in a hug. "Glad we found you. Come on! Let's get started."

"Naruto, I would really like to rest. I just-"

"Come on! Come on! We have everything set up for you."

"Uh, set up? What do you mean?"

"You'll see. Come on!"

While Sai was busy with Sakura, the boys had rearranged Naruto's apartment so it resembled a place someone might take their date. The floors had been cleaned and there was a table set for two waiting for him. Sai was told to stand there and wait for instructions. Everyone was there. Well, everyone except one.

"Where's Shikamaru?"

"He said he wanted no part of this and left."

"He's the lucky one." Sai moaned softly, wondering what they had in store for him now.

Naruto stood in the middle of the room, looking very proud of what they had come up with. "Ok, Sai. We've decided that you might need some practice for your date so we've set this up for you."

Sai looked at the table. "Oh, I see. It's like a simulation."

"Yup." Naruto jumped over to the table. "Ok, I'll be Ino for this practice run." Naruto wrapped a sash around his head, letting most of the cloth dangle down behind his head like a ponytail. "Just pretend I'm her."

Sai looked Naruto up and down. "Wouldn't it be simpler to just use a transformation jutsu for this?"

"I'm still not used to this thing." Naruto held up his replacement arm. "Grandma's still working on the real thing so until then I have to make due with this and it makes doing jutsu very hard. It's just easier this way."

"Just go with it," said Shino. "I'm leaving my comments to myself about Naruto being so eager to be the girl on this date."

"Ok, let's get started." Choji gestured to Sai. "Alright. What do you think you should do first?"

"Uh..."

"We have to hold his hand through this," whispered Lee. "He is just learning to fly."

"I thought you would want him to get thrown out of the nest," commented Kiba. "Isn't that your way of doing things?"

"Not when it comes to affairs of the heart!"

"Really?" Everyone looked surprised.

"True, love is passionate and pure. However, for one's first date, it is a special time in a man's life. If the slightest thing should go wrong, it will leave deep scars. It must not be taken so lightly."

"Wow..." Kiba looked impressed. "Lee's really grown up, hasn't he? He sounds like a new man."

Lee grabbed Sai's shoulders and said tearfully, "In order to win the heart of your true love, you must stop at nothing! You hear me, Sai? You must go all in and show her your passion! Do not be afraid! Push forward with the power of youth!"

"That sounds more like him," Kiba groaned, rolling his eyes.

"You must not give up! Take her to dinner and show her a wonderful time! Prove your love for her in a whirlwind of spring time-"

"That's enough, Lee!"

Lee was in tears. "It is so beautiful! His first date! He is growing up so fast!"

Sai stood silently, completely numb.

"Can we just get this over with already?" Kiba asked.

"Ok." Choji had the floor again. "Alright, Sai. You're about to have dinner with Ino. You've just arrived at the restaurant. What do you do?"

Sai frowned. "Eat?"

"Yeah, but... Um..." Choji looked lost. "How should we go about this?"

"I think you should just tell him what to do and then rate how well he does it," suggested Shino.

"Oh, yeah. That could work." Choji turned back to Sai. Ok, then. The first thing you do is hold the door open for your date."

"Ok. Seems simple enough."

Choji pointed to Naruto. "Well, there she is. Hold the door open for her."

Sai looked at Naruto who giggled girlishly, really getting into his part. Sai looked back at Choji. "Should I go outside and open the door again for this?"

"No, just pretend there's a door there and open it."

Sai looked in front of him. "So... it's imaginary?"

"Yup. Open the door."

Sai looked at the air in front of him. He reached forward and pretended to turn a knob. "Uh... go ahead, Ino."

"Oh, such a gentleman!" Naruto said in a high-pitched voice.

"Can you not do the voice, Naruto?" Shino asked.

Naruto skipped through the invisible door.

"Don't do that either."

"Then what can I do?" Naruto said in his normal voice.

"Just be Ino!"

Naruto frowned. "Me! Me! Me!" he chirped.

"That's it," laughed Kiba. "That sounds just like her."

"Take this seriously!"

Sai looked at Shino. "I'm holding an invisible door. How serious can this be?"

"You need to close the door, Sai. Your date's inside."

Sai relaxed his fist, making-believe he had just released the knob. "Uh... Clunk?"

"Good, the door is closed. Now follow your date to the table."

Sai took two steps and was at the table with Naruto. He looked at Choji for instructions.

"Now pull the chair out for her."

"Why?"

"It's good manners."

Sai looked at the chair. He stood behind it and pulled it out.

"Um..." Naruto put a finger to his lips thoughtfully. "I think I would rather sit over there." He chewed on his nail.

Sai pushed the chair back in and walked over to the other side of the table. He pulled out the other chair for him.

"Dust it off for me. It looks dirty."

"It's your apartment," Sai commented.

"Don't be a pain, Naruto," scolded Shino.

"Hey, what makes you think Ino won't be a pain?" asked Naruto.

Kiba nodded. "He has a point."

"Just do it, Naruto."

Naruto stood in front of the chair and let Sai push it in behind him. Naruto sat down and watched Sai walk over to his chair and sit across from him. "Now what?"

"Now this is where Sai asks you to talk about yourself."

Sai turned around in his chair to look at Choji. "Why would I do that?"

"Because on a date, you have to take an interest in your date."

"What if I don't care about anything she has to say? What if it's boring?"

"Then you have to suffer like every other guy out there who fakes an interest in a girl," muttered Shino.

"Just be polite and listen when she talks to you."

"Ok..." Sai faced forward in his seat and looked at Naruto. "So, uh... Ino... Tell me more about yourself."

Naruto was willing to skip this part. "Blah, blah, blah, she talks. Ok. Moving on. Now what?"

Choji scratched his head. "Actually, I'm not sure. I guess table manners. But..."

"It's not like they're doing anything fancy. We can skip ahead."

"What if they do something fancy? Ino might want to go out to an expensive place."

Sai nodded. "Sakura did warn me about that."

Naruto leaned across the table. "Sakura did? When did you talk to her?"

"Today in the library. She gave me some advice about dating. I don't get a lot of it."

"Great, so even Sakura knows about this date and she's helping you out, too."

"The more help the better, right?" asked Lee.

"No, it might just leave him confused," said Shino. "Sometimes too much information is a problem."

"She also told me not to listen to anything Naruto says."

"Hey!"

"Then again, sometimes that information is good."

"Shino! Whose side are you on?"

Choji tried to direct this back on track. "Guys, guys! Listen! We're here to help Sai. Can we get back to business before it gets late? I'd like to be home for dinner."

"I'm sure you wouldn't want to miss that," said Sai with a smile.

Naruto drew a line across his neck with his finger.

The training went on. It was really more like training now and less like mere advice. When it came to physical contact, Naruto drew the line. There was no hand-holding to be had in this practice drill. Which then brought a thought to Sai's already confused mind.

"What if Ino wants to kiss?" he asked. "I've never kissed anyone before either."

"A first date and a first kiss?" Lee was crying all over again. "It is all too beautiful! He is blossoming into a butterfly before my eyes!"

"Calm down, Lee."

"But what if she does want to kiss on the date? I don't know what to do."

"I am not practicing that with him!" Naruto took the sash off his head, quitting before something else got started.

"Relax, she won't kiss you."

"Are you sure? How can you promise that? What if she does?"

"It's a first date. No one kisses on a first date."

"You never kissed on your first date, Shino?"

Shino paused. "Actually, I've never dated either."

"Then how do you know if there's kissing on a first date or not?!" shouted Kiba.

"My parents didn't kiss on their first date."

"So? That was back then! My sister kissed on her first date."

"How do you know?"

"She told me!"

"A lady doesn't kiss and tell."

"What are you saying, Shino?"

"How do you know she was being truthful? It could have been locker room talk."

"Guys!" Choji got everyone back on track and not a moment too soon. Sai was really overwhelmed. One person said there was no kissing on a first date and someone else said there was. There was no straight answer. He just wanted things to be black and white. A simple yes or no was all he was looking for. "Don't look so upset," said Choji. "We'll help you out."

"A lot of good it's done so far. I'm more confused than ever."

Everyone looked at each other with uncertainty. Sai was right. They weren't being very helpful. No one could agree on advice and Sai was getting even more stressed out.

"Perhaps we should call it a night," said Shino.

"I agree."

"Me, too."

"Are we picking it up tomorrow?"

"Maybe we'll have better luck."

Sai left as soon as possible and went straight home. Their help had caused more harm than good. It left Sai feeling confused and worried. He was more uncertain than ever. He wanted to call the whole thing off and save himself from even more stress.

"All I learned from them was doors, chairs and maybe-maybe-not kissing." He let out a huge sigh. "Oh, this is hopeless. By far my toughest mission yet. And I'm not even getting paid for it."

Sai flopped down on his bed and tried to get some rest. He spent most of his sleepless night staring at the ceiling wondering what he was going to do. He was getting nervous, an emotion he rarely felt. In fact, most of what he felt this past day was new to him.

* * *

They had only a few hours before Sai's date and the group still couldn't decide on what advice was best for him. Even Sakura was involved now. She was yelling at the boys, telling them that they were making Sai even more hopeless than when he started. While they were having their meeting, Sai was brushing up on the dating advice he got from the books in the library. He had even borrowed some books from Kakashi, promising that they would be helpful.

"Where have you been, Sai? You only have a few hours left!"

Sai had been avoiding them so that he could study the books quietly with no one shouting at each other or saying how poor the advice was. "Sorry. I was just doing some last minute studying. The books Kakashi lent me have been most helpful."

"Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura and Naruto flinched. "His books?"

"Yes. This one was full of information." Sai held up a copy of Make-Out Paradise.

Sakura snatched the book away and whacked Sai over the head with it. "Wrong, wrong, wrong!"

"Yeah, Sai!" said Naruto. "Those books aren't helpful at all. They're boring."

"How would you know?" asked Sakura. "You never read them."

"I was with Pervy Sage when he wrote them. It was a pain!"

Sai buried his face in his hands. "Maybe I should just call it off. This is getting to be more trouble than it's worth."

"You can't cancel!" said Sakura. "Ino will get so pissed off. She'll think you rejected her!"

"But this isn't helping! No one can agree on anything and I'm very confused. I still don't know what to do on the date! I don't want to end up like the guys in those magazines when they mess up the date."

"You still have a couple hours before the date. We'll help you."

"You haven't done much helping."

They knew he was right. Nothing they had done for him was very helpful at all.

Shikamaru groaned loudly and got up from his seat on the bench. "Ah, I can't take it anymore. Come here."

Sai came over.

Shikamaru looked over his shoulder at Sakura. "Hey, Sakura, could you do me a favor and see what Ino's doing? I want to know if she's getting ready for the date."

"Uh, sure." Sakura ran off.

"What was that for? Why do you need to know that?"

"I don't," Shikamaru admitted. "I just needed to get rid for her for a second."

"Oh..!" Naruto came closer. "So you have a plan?"

"I have advice."

Kiba folded his arms. "I thought you wanted no part of this."

"I don't. But since you guys are completely hopeless, I guess I have no choice."

No one disagreed with him on that.

"Listen, Sai. Ino's my teammate. I've spent a lot of time with her and I know what she's like. I've got a couple tips for you. Even if these tips don't work for her, you can at least use them on other girls if you want to date someone else."

"Oh, so this advice works for all girls?"

"Well, most. I'm not sure what Ino's like on a date, but I know her. So are you willing to hear my advice?"

Sai nodded up and down.

"Ok, first off, I understand that no one can agree on what you should do. Choji told me that one of the issues was dinner."

"Yes. Sakura said I should take her to some place fancy. Then I was told other things. But the thing is, I don't know what she likes to eat or what she can eat because she's always on a diet."

"That's easy." Shikamaru patted him on the shoulder. "Have her pick the restaurant. That way, she'll definitely get to eat what she wants, where she wants. Problem solved."

"What if it's expensive?" Sai asked.

"Girls can be expensive. But the important thing is to not let her feel that you're being cheap. Girls hate that. They don't like cheap guys. So on this date, pay for the whole bill."

Sai blinked. "I have to pay for her meal?"

"Yup. That's what guys do on dates."

"I see." Sai made a mental note, trying to keep track of the advice. "So have her pick the place and pay the check."

"You got it. Let her order what she wants since she picked the place. And make sure she feels she's worth everything you spend on her. That will make her feel special and there's no way she can get pissed off at you for that."

Sai nodded again. "Uh-huh. Uh-huh."

"Also, on the date, let her do the talking. It's not only polite, but then you don't have to worry about saying something stupid. Knowing Ino, she'll talk your ear off. Just nod and listen. If she pauses, then you're allowed to speak. Just make sure it's related to what she had to say. Or you could change the subject."

"Ok." Then Sai asked him a question. "But Sakura told me to give her sweets. I don't know what she likes and if she's dieting, then will she get upset if I tempt her with chocolate?"

"Well, I have a very simple method for that." Shikamaru grinned. "When you've finished your meal, give her a gift in lieu of dessert."

"Oh, I like that idea!" Naruto said. "Shikamaru, you're brilliant."

"How do you know this stuff?" asked Kiba.

"I spend a lot of time around girls. There are some things you have to learn in order to survive."

"Should I bring her flowers?" Sai asked. "She owns a flower shop, so..."

"You can bring her one flower. Like a red rose." Then Shikamaru looked away, thinking. "You could also make her a flower out of paper. Or give her a fake flower with some cheesy note attached saying that you'll love her until the flower withers and dies. And since it's a fake flower, that will never happen so..."

"Aw, that's sweet. And cheesy," said Kiba.

"I told you it was." Shikamaru looked back at Sai. "You don't' have to do that, though."

"What if she expects a... kiss?" asked Sai nervously.

"Let her make the first move. If the mood is right and she's dropping hints, then go for it."

"What do these hints look like?"

Shikamaru paused. "Maybe you should just let her come to you."

Sai nodded. "Ok." Then he asked, "How should I dress? Sakura told me to change my hair and wear a suit."

"You don't have to do that on a first date. Ino just wanted to get dinner with you. It doesn't have to be formal or anything. Don't change how you look too much. Since she asked you out, she must like you, which would include how you look. I say all you have to do his shower, dress in something that looks nice but nothing fancy and that's it."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

Sai was feeling a little better about this date now. The way Shikamaru spoke, it didn't sound so hard. Maybe he was over-thinking things. Maybe there was nothing for him to be nervous about. This would be easy.

"Alright. I think I got it." Sai looked a lot more confident now.

"Good. Now you only have a couple hours until your date. You better go get ready," said Shikamaru. "If you want, I can judge what you're going to wear on the date."

"No, I think I have this. Thanks." Sai hurried back to his home to change.

Shikamaru turned back to the group and took a bow. "And that's how it's done."

"Are dating tips really that simple?" asked Lee.

"Don't over-think it." Shikamaru went back to the bench and stretched out with his arms behind his head. "Relax and don't stress it. Just makes things worse. This is Sai's first date, like you said. There's no need to make him a nervous wreck on top of everything else."

Everything Shikamaru pointed out made sense but Naruto was still worried about Sai. "Are you sure he's going to be ok on his date?"

"He's a big boy, Naruto."

"I know, but still..." Naruto looked off in the direction Sai went. "I'm still worried about him. Maybe we should tail them."

"You want us to spy on them on the date?" Kiba asked.

"Yeah. Just to make sure everything goes well."

Kiba shrugged. "I'm game."

"Let's do it!" Naruto cheered.

They turned and looked at Shikamaru who tried to ignore their stares. He glanced their way just once then looked away again. Then he groaned loudly. "Oh, the hell with it. Alright, I'll come along. There's nothing better to do anyway."

* * *

Sai looked at his reflection in the store-shop window. He had the same hairstyle he always had and was comfortable with. Despite Sakura urging him to change it for the date, he kept it the same. The only thing different about him was his clothing. He was wearing the same pants he liked to relax in but rather than his matching shirt, he decided to go with the only hoodie he owned. He didn't think he looked too bad. He looked down at the box in his hands. He didn't get Ino any flowers, but he did go with Shikamaru's idea of a gift to give to her after dinner.

"How do I make a conversation with her?" Sai muttered to himself. "I know he said that Ino would talk most of the time but what should I open with when I see her? The books said to complement her looks. Going with the opposite of what I think seemed to work last time."

"Hi, Sai!" Ino came bouncing over wearing a casual dress. Everything else about her looked the same.

"Hello." Sai looked her up and down. "You look nice."

"Thank you." She smiled at him.

Good. He got one thing right so far.

"Come on, let's get some food."

"Sure." Sai thought back to what Shikamaru had told him. "You can pick the place, Ino. Wherever you want."

"Really? Great! I have the perfect place in mind." She grabbed Sai by the arm and dragged him down the street.

So far things seemed to be going well. She hadn't punched him yet.

Ino halted in front of a fusion restaurant. Sai had never been inside before. He never really understood it. Ino seemed really eager to go in. Sai walked ahead of her and held the door open. "After you."

Ino blushed. "Wow, such a gentleman." She walked inside as if she was the most important person in the village. Sai followed behind her. She seemed to like him holding the door open for her. Yet more good advice as it turned out.

Sai was so preocupied with his date that he didn't take notice of the pack of ninja following them. Naruto and the others crouched down by the window to spy on the date.

"How do you think he'll do?" whispered Kiba.

"He'll choke, I just know it," said Sakura.

"We trained him," said Naruto.

"I know that. But this is Sai, after all. He'll mess it up one way or another. He doesn't know what to do in these types of situations. He might say the wrong thing or be really blunt or something."

Shikamaru pressed his nose against the glass. "Looks like they're going to the table."

Everyone watched, holding their breath.

Sai pulled out Ino's chair and pushed her in. Then he went to his own chair and sat down.

"Oh, good," Choji sighed. "So far he seems to be doing well."

Shikamaru was shaking his head. "I think it's starting to set in."

"What is?"

"Look closely. See?" Shikamaru pointed. "His hands are shaking a little. The guy says he has no feelings but some things are beyond his control. Even if he's not thinking about it, his nerves are kicking in. It's finally hit him that their date has begun. He's getting nervous. Even if he's not aware of it, his body is."

"What do we do?"

"Nothing. All we can do is watch."

"He's right," said Shino. "He needs to sink or swim on his own. Leave the rest to him."

Naruto didn't want Sai to fail. "Maybe I should go in and give him some tips. I'll just disguise myself as a waiter and..."

"Plant it!" Sakura dragged him back and sat him down.

Sai just started to notice that his hands were shaking. This was very strange. He never trembled. Not even on missions. He was trained not to do this. What was wrong with him?

He looked across the table at Ino who was going over the menu, unaware of his shaking hands. "Ino, you can order whatever you want," he told her. "I want you to enjoy yourself."

Ino smiled and looked back at the menu.

Sai brought along plenty of money so it shouldn't be an issue. Shikamaru warned him that Ino would probably take him broke, but it was important not to appear cheap. Apparently girls found that offensive. There were so many rules, it left Sai feeling dizzy.

When the waiter came to take their order, Sai let her order first. Her order wasn't that expensive. Ino was showing some mercy on his wallet. Sai ordered next and the waiter wrote it all down. The waiter poured them some water and left the jug on the table as he left.

Conversation. That came next. Sai had to engage Ino in conversation. What was he supposed to say?

"So, Ino..." He had to think fast. He couldn't pause for too long. "How have you been recently?" Starting off with an easy question seemed like a good way to go.

Ino started telling Sai about her day and how things were going at the flower shop. She talked about the people who came in and what they bought. Then she gossiped about Sakura and the other girls she was close with. She even bragged about the new jutsu she had perfected and some new ones she was working on that showed promise. Sai listened to everything she said as if he was about to be quiz the moment she stopped.

"What are they doing now?"

Naruto leaned closer, fogging up the glass with his breath. "They're talking, it looks like."

"What are they saying?"

"How should I know? I can't hear them."

"What's Sai doing?"

"Uh... He's nodding a lot."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Ino must be the one doing most of the talking."

"Knew it," said Shikamaru.

When their food came, Sai was very thankful. He didn't want to hear Ino talk anymore. However, she still spoke between bits of food and Sai tried his best to answer back and contribute to the conversation. He had to make it look like Ino was very interesting. Sai was good at faking an interest. Although, he had to admit, some of the things she said was actually interesting. He enjoyed hearing about her jutsu for example. When Ino talked about her team's formation and their teamwork, Sai asked her to talk more about it.

"So tell me more about your skills. How does that work with your team? Do you take turns with your different abilities or do you all attack at once?"

"We work as a team. We do attack at once a lot but we're all watching each other's backs." Ino was more than happy to tell him all about it. "When I use my ability, Shikamaru's had to use his Shadow technique to save me a few times. While I'm using my jutsu, he uses his to control my body for a bit to fight enemies. This one time..." Ino went on and on. Sai nodded and smiled. Though he had to admit, a bit of what she said was actually interesting. He wasn't entirely bored.

However, when Ino then asked him about himself, Sai was stumped. He had practiced for what to do when Ino was speaking. Apparently no one thought she would ever stop talking during the date. Now Sai had to be interesting.

"Oh. Um..." Think, think. "I have nothing much to say. I'm not as interesting as you."

Whatever he said must have worked because Ino looked very flattered. Sai hadn't given what he said much thought. He just spoke whatever came to his mind first.

"Come on, Sai. Tell me something about yourself. You can't be boring."

Sai's hands were starting to shake again. Why was he shaking so much? This wasn't like him. Were these first-date nerves? He couldn't control it.

Ino was still waiting for an answer. He couldn't stall any longer.

"I enjoy reading. And I like calligraphy."

"Oh, that's nice." Ino smiled at him. She seemed pleased with that answer. "What else?"

"Um..." She wanted more? What else was there to say? He could talk about his jutsu. What else was there to say? He had to come up with something fast. "I do like watching the sunset and sunrise. I enjoy how the colors of the sky and clouds change as the sun moves."

"How romantic." Ino was smiling even more.

What had he said? Whatever it was, it was good. Ino liked it.

To avoid having to answer more questions, Sai grabbed the handle of the water jug. "Your glass seems a bit empty. Would you like me to pour you some more?"

"Oh, yes, please."

Sai lifted the jug off the table. It was heavy and cold. The melting ice was making the jug slippery. Including the handle. This coupled with Sai's shaking hands made the jug very difficult to hold onto. As he poured her another glass, the ice rattled and shifted, causing the jug to jiggle. His hand was slipping. As soon as the glass was full, he went to put the jug back on the table. He was so nervous, he placed the jug on the very edge of the table. It started to topple over. It leaned towards Ino, threatening to spill over.

Then suddenly, it stood up straight and dragged itself to a safe position on the table.

The shadow holding the jug quickly slipped away unnoticed.

Outside, Shikamaru breathed a sigh of relief. "That was a close one."

"I thought we weren't going to interfere."

Shikamaru shrugged. "I helped him out a little. If at all, actually. If that jug fell over, it was going to soak Ino and ruin her dress. Sai didn't really do much other than misjudge the width of the table when he set it down."

"So you helped him."

Shikamaru looked away. "I said I didn't really do that much."

"You helped him."

"I merely kept the jug from spilling over. I didn't help him so much as I saved the waiter from having to clean up a spill and any other person walking by who might have slipped. It had nothing to do with the date."

The others went back to watching Sai and Ino through the window.

After they finished their meal Sai remembered the box he had brought along. "Oh, yes." Sai took out the box and presented it to Ino. "This is for you."

"What is it?"

"A gift. I made it for you."

Ino looked thrilled. "You made it?" Ino opened the box quickly to see what was inside. It was a painting. Of her. Ino took out the small painting to take a better look. It was a painting of her surrounded by a wreath of flowers. "You made this?" she said again, this time sounding stunned.

"Yes. I worked on it most of the afternoon. The idea came to me. I wasn't sure what to give you. I thought flowers at first but since you owned a flower shop I didn't think you would like it. So I made this for you."

Outside, the ninja pressed tightly together to see what was going on inside.

"What are they doing?"

"What's that he gave her?"

"I think he made her a drawing."

"Does she like it? Does she look pissed?"

"It... looks like she likes it."

"You sure?"

Shikamaru looked at the moved expression on Ino's face as she held the framed painting in her hands. "Yeah. She likes it."

"What is it?"

"How the hell should I know? Whatever it was, it must have been a personal gift."

Sai waited for an answer. Finally he got it.

"It's beautiful. I love it!" Ino carefully wrapped the painting back in the box to keep it safe. "I can't believe you made it for me. You're such a good artist. Thank you so much."

Sai smiled his usual smile, though this time it wasn't fake. He was very happy that she liked it and that she praised him for his work. It made him feel good about himself. She recognized his talent and loved it very much.

When the bill came, Sai paid for the whole dinner, as he was instructed to do. At this point, he thought the date was over. However, Ino seemed to have different plans.

"Let's go for a walk." She pulled Sai to his feet and marched towards the door.

Sai wasn't sure what to do now. He had only practiced dinner. Where was she taking him? His heart was starting to beat faster, but only slight. He was curious where she was taking him, which he assumed was why he felt his nerves acting up again.

Outside, the group saw Ino and Sai heading their way and ran for it. They hid as quickly as they could and watched from a safe distance. Ino and Sai went on a walk around the village. Then they went to the park. Ino was steering. Sai just followed wherever she pulled him. They walked for a while. In fact, they walked for so long that Naruto and the other ninja watching them started to get really bored.

The walk was very relaxing. Sai was able to think and not worry about how the date was going. Every now and then Ino would comment about something but she didn't seem to want any feedback from him so Sai remained quiet. Soon things were quiet again and Sai started to wonder how much longer this would go on. He was tired of this date. Granted, this was the calmest it had been, but there were other things he would rather be doing than just walking around aimlessly. At one point, he noticed a few flowers growing along the sidewalk and picked one, giving it to Ino. It wasn't out of kindness or romance. He was bored and needed something to do. He put it in her hair and said it brought out her eyes, which it did. Ino seemed flattered. Sai didn't understand why. The color and shape of the flower really did bring out her eyes. It was a fact, not a pick-up line.

After a while, Ino found an empty bench under a tree and guided Sai over to it, wanting to sit down. Sai didn't complain. To break the silence, Sai said, "This was a very nice date. I enjoyed it."

"So you're happy you spent the evening with me?" Ino asked.

Should he tell the truth? Shikamaru and the others advised him not to if it would upset her. "Yes. I was happy to keep you company."

Ino looked pleased.

"Normally people don't seem to want to spend time with me."

Saying such a thing made Sai appear vulnerable. Which seemed to be like catnip to girls. Ino cooed sympathetically to him and touched his hand.

Sai didn't know why she suddenly held his hand so tightly but it made him feel warm. His heart was beating faster again.

"I actually figured you would go out with Sakura first, being her teammate and all."

"No. I'm not interested in Sakura that way," Sai said honestly. He saw nothing wrong with speaking his mind when it came to other girls. "I doubt she would want to date me anyway. Not after I called her ugly."

Ino started laughing. "You did?"

"Yes. I was trying to find ways to connect with other people and I read in a book that by giving people nicknames, it can help create a bond between them. So Sakura advised me to use a person's characteristics to come up with a good nickname. So I called her ugly."

Ino was laughing all over again.

"I took her advice, but it didn't seem to work. She hit me after I said it. Nicknames are harder than I thought."

"Do you have a nickname for your other teammates?"

"Well, I have one for Naruto... but he doesn't want me to call him that."

Up in the trees, the group spied on the couple below. They made sure to hide in a tree further away so they wouldn't be spotted or heard. Unfortunately, that also meant that they couldn't hear what Ino and Sai were talking about.

"What are they saying?" Kiba whispered. "I can't hear them from here."

"If you can't, then how can we?"

"Ino's talking. A lot."

"What's she saying?"

"How the hell should I know?"

"Shh!"

Sai listened to Ino talk for a while. He wondered when this date would end. He wanted to go home. It was already sunset.

"Aw, isn't that pretty, Sai?" Ino pointed to the sunset. "Just look at it."

Sai looked at all the pinks and purples and orange colors. It was very tranquil. "Yes, it is very pretty."

"Like me, right?" Ino asked.

"No, not really." Sai blinked. That was wrong. He had to correct himself. No, it was too late for that. She had already heard him. He had to say something else and quick. "You're beautiful," he said quickly.

That was close. Ino looked very pleased to hear that. She was more than just pretty. She was beautiful. Sai was so sweet! Ino leaned against Sai's body and rested her head on his shoulder, watching the sunset.

Sai's heart beat faster. Why was this happening? Was it his nerves again? Or was it possible that he was actually enjoying having her so close to his body like this? Would that cause his heart to beat faster? He wasn't sure. There could be multiple reasons for his heart rate to increase. Sai tried not to think about it and watched the sunset with her. After a few minutes, he forgot she was there and started to relax.

Ino lifted her head off Sai's shoulder. Sai thought this meant that the date was over and he could leave now. All he had to do now was wish her well, tell her it was a perfect evening and go home. Ino had something different in mind. She wasn't moving away. She was coming closer.

Sai turned his body so he was facing her. Taking this as an invitation, Ino closed her eyes and puckered her lips.

Sai's heart was pounding. Puckered lips? He knew what that meant. She was going to kiss him! Shikamaru and the others never told him what to do in this situation. They all told him that a kiss would not happen on a first date.

Maybe he should lean back. Would moving away be good or would she take it as an insult? Should he make a sound and signal that he wasn't ready for this? Would that be an insult as well?

While he was thinking of a possible way out of this, Ino had come even closer. Sai was paralyzed with his thoughts and by his nerves. He was so shocked, he couldn't move. His eyes widened as her lips came closer and closer.

He felt Ino's soft lips on his and tensed up. His eyes remained opened with shock.

What should he do? This was his first kiss. He had seen other people do it. It didn't seem so hard. What was he supposed to do? Pucker back? Why couldn't he move his body?

What was that taste? He ran his tongue over Ino's lips inadvertently. She tasted like peaches. He liked peaches. He wasn't crazy about sweets but peaches and other fruits were fine with him. Was that her lip gloss he was tasting?

Ino's lips pushed against his. He felt her tongue on his bottom lip. Sai shut his eyes tightly. She was tasting him, too. This was gross. Was this how people kissed? Using their tongues to taste each other's lips? Wasn't that called french kissing? How bizarre. Why did people like this? Didn't they find this gross and strange and...

Actually, it wasn't so bad.

A little hard to breathe, though. Sai opened his mouth briefly to get some air and Ino slipped her tongue inside.

This was weird. Sai opened his eyes. Ino was so close to his face he couldn't get a good look at her and keeping his eyes open like this was making him dizzy. Sai closed his eyes again and waited for it to be over.

This felt... different. Sai's body was heating up. He could feel his blood rushing through his body. He felt a little lightheaded. His heart was racing. This wasn't so bad at all. Kind of pleasant. It felt pretty good, actually. What a rush! This felt really good. He liked it. His body was tingling.

"Oh, my God."

"What?"

Naruto was staring wide-eyed at Sai and Ino. "Oh, my God."

"What? What?"

"They're kissing."

"What?"

"They are?"

Everyone crowded around to look. Everyone gasped.

"She actually kissed him? On a first date?"

"Or he kissed her."

"No, no. It's Ino doing the kissing. He's kind of frozen over there."

"Crap," Shikamaru moaned. "I told him there wouldn't be any kissing and he asked what he should do if there was. I didn't tell him anything. No one did. I hope this won't be a disaster."

"Too soon to tell," said Shino.

On the bench, Ino parted lips with Sai. His eyes were still shut and his mouth was open slightly. Noticing she was gone, Sai opened his eyes.

They locked eyes for a moment.

More. His body wanted more. It was like ripping the sheet off his body when he was sleeping. He wanted, needed that warmth.

Sai's body was in autopilot. It moved independent of his will, reaching for her. Sai made a desperate sound in his throat and lunged at Ino, wanting more. His hand went behind her neck and pulled her in close and held her there. His lips puckered and crashed into hers. Sai continued the kiss, not yet satisfied. Ino kissed him back.

This was incredible. That good feeling was back. Sai was in bliss. This felt so good. Kissing was fantastic! Now that he had given Ino the ok, she was kissing him more passionately. Sai moaned, his eyes rolling back in his head. He had never felt anything like this before. No wonder people kissed as often as they did on dates. It was addictive. This was a feeling Sai had never experienced before and he loved it.

Finally they parted for air and Sai sat back panting. Ino wiped her lips off on the back of her hand.

"Sorry," Sai panted.

Ino was taken aback by Sai's apology.

"That was my first kiss," Sai admitted. "I've never been kissed before. When you suddenly did that, I didn't know what to do." Sai looked away. "I just... gave in. I don't know if I was any good. So if I did it wrong or if I upset you in any way, I'm sorry. Maybe you want someone with more experience."

Ino moved closer to him. "This was your first kiss?"

"Yes. It was."

"I was your first?"

"Yes." Sai was blushing. He never blushed. It was beyond his control. Somehow simply talking about it caused his cheeks to turn bright red. "I wouldn't blame you if you laughed at me. Since I've never kissed anyone before, I don't really know what I'm doing. Was it bad?"

"No, it wasn't."

Sai's face was still pink. "I really enjoyed that kiss. I've never felt anything like that before. It was really good." Of course, he had nothing to compare it to, but he didn't want to point that out to Ino. It went without saying anyway, but simply telling Ino that the kiss was good made her feel good about herself.

Ino held Sai's hand and kissed his cheek. "If you want," Ino whispered to him, "I can give you more kisses."

Sai turned his head. "Right now?"

"No. I'll save them for our second date."

"Second date?" Sai's mind was still in a bit of a fog, but he thought he understood what she meant. "So... you want to go out with me again?"

"Sure. I really liked this date. How about we go shopping next time?"

"Alright." Sai was excited. "When?"

A branch snapped and nine ninja came falling out of a tree nearby. Ino stood up from the bench and looked at each and every one of their faces. "What are you doing?" she demanded. "Were you spying on us?"

"Run!" The group scattered.

* * *

Three days later, Ino and Sai went on their second date. No dinner, no dancing, no romantic sunsets. Just a day of shopping. Ino went from one shop to the next, buying all the outfits and perfumes she wanted and had Sai carry the bags. She modeled the clothes for him whenever she felt like teasing him a little and had him hold her bag while she tried stuff on. Sai hated shopping and hated it even more when he was forced to wait for Ino to finish. He only did it so he would get another kiss.

Although, there was a little more than even Sai noticed at the time. The more time he spent with Ino, the more he was starting to like her. He didn't love her just yet but he was getting closer with every kind gesture she gave him. For instance, Ino didn't ask Sai to pay for a single outfit she bought that day. She paid for everything herself. All Sai had to do was sit there.

Sai did more research on dating and expressed a curiosity when it came to sharing an ice cream cone or cuddling under a blanket together. He asked Ino if she would be willing to do any of these and Ino agreed it would be nice. Sai was looking forward to it.

"She's got him wrapped around her finger," Shikamaru groaned. "Poor guy."

"He seems pretty happy to me."

"Ino's bribing him with kisses. He's a sucker."

Shino tilted his head down as if he was agreeing with him. "He's been bitten by the love bug. It's merciless."

"How long do you think it will last?" asked Kiba. "I'm taking all bets for a couple weeks."

"It's going to be longer than that," said Sakura. "Ino told me that she likes him, too. She did even before this date. Sai's just starting to get these feelings of love. I think it's sweet. They're a couple now."

"When did that become official?" asked Choji.

"If they're both happy, who cares?"

"Is Sai happy, though?" asked Choji. "I mean, isn't it possible that he's only acting this way because he discovered a new feeling he wasn't familiar with and is exploring it because it feels good to him? Like when you eat cake for the first time and you think it's really great and want as much of it as you can and then you get sick and now you don't want it anymore? After a while, Sai's probably going to tone it down. You know, once the initial feeling wears off and isn't as strong anymore."

"Maybe... Maybe because the experience is new to him, he's going a little crazy with it. Maybe it will wear off after a while."

Shikamaru sighed, rubbing his forehead. "I don't know. According to my dad, it started out the same way for him, too. Then he got married. It might end up being the same thing for them. Who knows?"

"Or they could be happy together," said Sakura.

"Ha!"

Sai came over to the group and sat down. His hair was slightly messy and he had a big smile on his face. "Hi, guys."

"That's a big grin you have on your face," said Naruto.

"Am I smiling?" Sai couldn't help the expression on his face. "I didn't notice."

"So how's your date going?"

"I really like it." Sai started giggling.

"Why are you laughing?" asked Naruto, getting a little uncomfortable.

"I can't help it. I can't stop."

Sakura smirked. "Did she kiss you again?"

Sai nodded up and down. "She ran her fingers through my hair and... even kissed my neck. I never felt anything like that before. When she did that, it's like my body..."

"We don't need to know!" Naruto covered his ears.

"I want to do something nice for her. Maybe I'll treat her to lunch. Or buy her an outfit or two. I think she'd like that." Sai stood up. "I have to go. Bye!"

Shikamaru pointed at Sai as he ran to catch up with Ino who was coming out of the bathroom. "And that's how they get you."

"Are you ever going to date, Shikamaru?" Naruto asked.

"Not likely. I don't need a woman nagging me for the rest of my life. Who needs it?"

"So..." Tenten moved closer to Shikamaru. "How's a certain girl from the Sand Village doing?"

Shikamaru frowned. "Shut up. We're friends. That's all."

"Sure you are."

Shikamaru turned away.

Tenten waved Sakura over. "I say for the next date, we set Naruto up with Hinata."

"Good thinking."

Naruto looked up. "What's that?"

* * *

The end!

I hope you liked it.

I wanted to do a one-shot fic about Sai. There were a couple of ways I wanted to do it, but I decided to go this way ^-^ I mean, I wanted an actual story, you know? Not like Ino and Sai end up together because she asked him to marry her and he just went 'yeah, sure' kind of thing. Kind of boring. So here's this. I thought it would be more fun this way. ^-^

May love be with everyone!


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